Acute urinary retention as the initial manifestation of Guillain-Barré syndrome

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a leading cause of acute weakness in young and middle-aged people [1,2], but it can affect patients of all ages. The main features of Guillain-Barré syndrome are ascending limb weakness which is relatively symmetric and progresses rapidly, with or without involvement of respiratory or cranial nerveinnervated muscles. In typical cases, possible initial symptoms include pain, numbness, paraesthesia, or weakness of the limbs [3,4]. Guillain-Barré syndrome also has a significant mortality in the first month [5,6]; however, this condition is often initially misdiagnosed [7], because the initial symptoms are often nonspecific, and many clinical variants may present [8]. Therefore, it is mandatory to maintain a high index of suspicion for this disease so as to prompt early diagnosis and treatment. Herein, we reported a case of Guillain-Barré syndrome who rapidly progressed to respiratory failure with an initial presentation of only acute urinary retention.